Lara Croft, Tomb Raider: The Power of Five
by Anya2
Summary: Movie verse story - my take on the third film... It just seemed like another recovery job for Lara and her boys but it quickly turns into a race to obtain an evil that can't be destroyed.
1. Prologue

Lara Croft, Tomb Raider:

The Power of Five

  


**Prologue**

  


_Belize, 1995:_

  


It was hot.

  


Too hot.

  


Far too hot to be pleasant. Any place where the sun touched bare skin burned like a hundred tiny needles were being stabbed in and then jiggled about it a bit for good measure. Things had improved somewhat since they had gone off the track and headed into the tropical jungle. The further they walked, the thicker the vegetation became. Whilst this made their armed escorts from the village very nervous about the increasing animal sounds, at least it kept the sun's rays at bay.

  


Dr William Andrews glanced across at his wife, Nakia, who was walking peacefully beside him. Whereas perspiration was falling in rivlets down his face, she appeared as if she had been walking in her own refreshing breeze. He had to bare in mind though that she was Egyptian and this heat was nothing new to her.

  


The squealing, shrieking and howling of the native animals seemed to be intensifying with every step they took. Not that William was at all worried – he'd done this a hundred times before and he had hand picked the men with rifles as they were the best shots in their village. Even though he he had had to pay them the negotiated fee of one hundred and seventy five Belize dollars each for the pleasure of their company. Most had refused the offer. They said where he was going was a haunted place, protected by powerful magics. It seemed, however, that even some of the most supersitious minds could be won over with enough money.

  


As they continued he was surprised at how remote this location felt. In reality they were only a few hours walk from the village. They hadn't even brought any camping equipment with them, having set off at dawn meant they would arrive at the temple in plenty of time to have a good look round before they were forced to return. Even so, he felt as if they were an age away from civilisation. Almost as if every step they took somehow transported them into the time of the temple they were looking for. Part of him expected to see Mayan warriors jumping out of the undergrowth at them wanting to sacrifice them to their gods.

  


He took a quick glance across at Nakia again, wondering if she felt the effect too. If she did though she didn't show it. Her face was calm as always. In the twenty-five years they had been married he had barely seen her get flustered about anything. She coped with everything her husband's exploring threw at her with the same grace and good will. He smiled slightly.

  


What he was about to stay stopped upon his lips however when he spotted something ahead. They had been walking up a steep incline for the past few minutes, but William had been too lost in his own thoughts to really register it. Ahead though, in the suddenly thinning undergrowth a large limestone figure could be seen jutting through the green. William increased his pace without thought, stopping by what he could now see was a fallen statue. Ripping away some of the vines that had grown over it, he quickly revealed a serpent's head surrounded by a mane of feathers.

  


"It's the god, Kukulcan", he whispered softly to himself.

  


"We are not the only ones to have come this way," Nakia said, from the other side of the statue.

  


William, who had been so intrigued that he hadn't even noticed her arrival, leaned over to see what she was pointing at. There was a spot, much like the one he had just created, where the vines and moss had been ripped away. He frowned. That was strange. He wasn't aware anyone had investigated this particular temple before. He had come here because one of his colleagues at the British Museum had got wind of a rumour spread among the locals about a hidden temple. The museum had funded the expedition on the premise that this would be a new discovery. He hoped that wasn't going to prove to be a false assumption.

  


"We must be close," he insisted, looking up to see that they were indeed reaching the ridge of the hill. He waited a short moment for Nakia to take a couple of shots with her camera then they hurried on, their escorts following cautiously.

  


He knew they had arrived even before he could see over the ridge. He could feel it in the air. Stopping at the very top of the hill he took in the view below him, suddenly wishing they had brought more film for the camera.

  


The temple reminded him a lot of the stepped pyramids in Egypt only this was more detailed and intricate – the traditional Mayan carvings could be seen even from this distance. It helped that it sat in a clearing, seemingly being in a place where even the jungle not dared to go. Fourty foot high, the structure had stood the test of time relatively well considering it could be anything up to three thousand years old. In places the limestone was crumbled, but it appeared to be remarkably intact.

  


After taking in the view for a few moments, William began a rather hurried decent down the hill. Nakia, who quickly followed after him, had a rather thoughtful expression on her face when they stopped at the bottom.

  


"Why are there no vines here? No animals?" she asked, taking in her surroundings with a careful eye. It was the sort of place that vines wound themselves round very quickly when left to their own devices, and monkies would have found it a wonderful playground. Why had they stayed away all this time?

  


"I don't know," William admitted, sounding more excited than anything. That was one of many questions his eager mind wanted to find the answers for. He had better call the museum when they got back to the village – this was going to be more than a three week job.

  


He glanced across at his wife, his fasicnation diminshing just slightly as he saw the frown she was wearing.

  


"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, out of the earshot of the men who seemed to be slowly gaining some confidence as they inched closer. He waved them forward pointing to the temple. They nodded in understanding and went to investigate things further.

  


Nakia shook her head, knowing that her worries were ridiculous. This wasn't like her.

  


"It feels strange, that's all," she explained, when it was obvious he wasn't going to let it go without an answer, "Not abandoned or ruined but....."

  


She trailed off, not being able to put the feeling into words.

  


William took her hand in a reassuring gesture. Nakia had adjusted so well to the Western world that he sometimes forgot she was from a far more supersitious culture than he. Whilst she was just as fasicnated by ancient worlds as he was, she tended to pay much more heed to the myths and legends that serious scientists rejected out of hand.

  


"Come on," he said, "I want to get a good look before we have to head back."

  


She nodded, still looking slightly uncertain but content to trust him. Walking towards the temple, the first thing he noticed was the details of the carvings, even more elaborate than he could have hoped for.

  


"They're so well preserved," he whispered in awe, going in for a closer look. Then he frowned as he ran his fingers over the carving of a jaguars head. He could feel it – the feeling that was making Nakia so uneasy.

  


"Too well preserved," he said, standing again and backing away a few steps, pulling his wife with him, "It's not right."

  


He looked up at the temple once more, shaking his head. What was this place?

  


A shout from one of the men brought him back to his senses.

  


"There's something strange here," the man was saying, apparently from around the near corner of the structure, "Stones with strange pictures on. They're not Mayan."

  


William frowned and shared a curious look with Nakia.

  


Suddenly a scraping sound was heard, like stone rubbing on stone.

  


Then silence.

  


An unearthly shrieking squeal, followed by gunfire.

  


And human screams.

  


William dropped Nakia's hand as he ran to help.

  


  



	2. Back On The Day Job

Author's Note: Thanks to those who left a review. I'm glad you liked the story enough to take the time to do it. Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

  


  


  


**Part One – Back On The Day Job**

  


_The Himalayas, Present Day:_

  


Lara edged forward cautiously but without her weapons drawn. It was very unlikely anyone had been here in hundreds of years. And if they had, she very much doubted that they had survived the trip. These Himalayan temples always seemed to be filled with an unnecessary amount of ways to kill yourself horribly.

  


Ample proof of that was provide as she stepped forward and heard a small puff. She quickly rolled forward out of harm's way before turning to see the undoubtedly poisonous dart embedded in the left wall of the small hallway and, in the right, the concealed pipe which it had shot from. Flicking her long plaited hair back over her shoulder, in a manner that was rather flippant, she stood up and continued onwards unfazed.

  


Around the next corner she stopped as she came to a pit dug into the stone floor. It was too wide to jump across and the stairs leading down to the bottom appeared a little too inviting. Kneeling, she looked curiously towards the floor, but couldn't see anything untoward. Of course she knew there was. You didn't go to the trouble of putting a bloody great big whole in the stone floor of your temple unless it was there for a reason. And the odds would suggest that the reason was maiming or killing. At least they were consistent.

  


Standing once again, she looked up at the walls and ceiling either side of the pit. It was too dark to see anything well and so she pulled out and lit a flare, holding it as high as she was able. The walls didn't appear very stable, full of cracks and crevices. There was a stone beam running through the centre of each of them that seemed to be holding them up.

  


"Hmm," she said thoughtfully to herself.

  


Well, there was nothing for it. She had to go across. Tossing the flare ahead to land over the other side, she quickly surmised that taking the stairs would probably be a bad idea. Instead she carefully lowered herself to full stretch over the edge before dropping to the ground, bending her knees to soften the landing after the small fall. She stood again quickly, ready to move if anything flew out at her.

  


Nothing did and she let out the breath she had been unconsciously holding, allowing herself a smile.

  


Which immediately faded as she took a step forward and heard a click. This was closely followed by a scraping sound, and she looked up to see that the stone beams that were apparently supporting the side walls were retracting.

  


She executed a forward handspring just in time in to miss being crushed as the stone began to fall into the pit. This landed her just underneath the opposite ledge and she jumped to grab the edge and vaulted out of the pit with mere seconds to spare. Most people would never have made it. But Lara Croft wasn't most people.

  


She dusted herself off slightly and turned to look at the pit, now full of rubble. Well, at least it would make it easier to get out.

  


Lara made a mental note to have a word with Bryce and Hillary when she got back. According to their research this was allegedly the less dangerous entrance into the temple. There again, Bryce had never been very good with compass directions so when he had said the north side...

  


She shook her head. Bryce was certainly the stereotypical flawed techie. Give him a pile of junk and ask him to make a toaster out of it and he'd be fine. Try and get him to cook some toast afterwards though and you'd better have the fire extinguishers on standby. It was a comfort to know that Hillary was there to keep an eye on him while she was away. Lara was never particularly concerned with material possessions but she would prefer her house stay standing.

  


Picking up her still merrily fizzing flare, she continued onwards once more, coming to stop at an arch that lead into a wider room with a high ceiling. On the far side she could see another arch and through that the bottom of a pedestal where her prize undoubtedly stood.

  


So, just the room to traverse first then.

  


Seemed innocent enough from where she stood, but she didn't believe that for a moment. 

  


For example, what were those cracks in the stone floor?

  


A second look made her realise that they were dotted across the whole room in such a way that it was almost impossible to avoid treading on them if you weren't aware. Some of them had what appeared to be partially crushed human bones on them – particularly the ones closest to archway she was standing in.

  


Lara knew what it meant, but she looked up anyway.

  


Above every point where the cracks appeared, there was suspended a large stone pillar that seemed just eager to slam down and crush whoever happened to be the unfortunate person standing underneath them.

  


"Nice," Lara said to herself. She did appreciate a little inventiveness in the death traps she faced. Swinging blades, rolling boulders and spike traps were getting a little dull now.

  


So, she just had to get across.

  


There were plenty enough seemingly safe spots. She just had to be careful to pick them out. Stepping forward a pace she tossed the flare forward to give herself a better view. Quickly scanning the area she picked out the best route across. It was going to require a little agility, but she didn't practice so hard for nothing.

  


Taking a couple of paces back, she ran and leapt forward, diagonally to her right, back to the left, forward and forward again. This landed her halfway along the room and she paused to have another look around. Noticing that there were no skeletons in front of her, she quickly surmised that this was as far as anyone had ever gotten. A small smile of satisfaction spread across her lips. Of course, she wasn't about to stop there.

  


Planning out her route to the door took her sharp eyes only a moment to complete. Just another series of jumps that weren't particularly difficult. She walked forward a pace in order to line herself up.

  


And she immediately fell back to the ground ungracefully in order to prevent herself from tumbling forward as the floor she had just stepped on gave way. Peering into the hole that had appeared where the floor tile used to be, she unsurprised to see a set of sharp wooden spikes eight feet below her.

  


This was going to make things more interesting.

  


Clearly from this point on the temple builders had upped the stakes a bit, so to speak. The tiles without pillars over them were apparently not stable enough to stand on for even a moment, which left her with only one choice. She just hoped that she was quicker than the people who had made this tomb had anticipated.

  


As she stood again, she took more time in planning her route than she had previously. It was going to have to be extremely accurate and lightening quick. Fortunately she didn't doubt her ability to do either.

  


Taking a preparatory breath, knowing she would not have time to pause for another once she set off, she took a step back and sprinted into a jump.

  


As she leapt and sprung gracefully from cracked tile to cracked tile she could here the whooshing sound of the air being displaced by sudden movement, followed by the deep booming thump of stone hitting stone. She knew what it was without daring to take a look.

  


The pillars crashed down in her wake, missing her by inches every time. Hitting the last one, she forced her now tired and burning legs into one last effort to sprint up the stairs to the door and out of harm's reach.

  


Only now did she allow herself to turn back and survey the scene as the pillars slowly ascended up into the ceiling again. Smiling to herself with just a touch of smugness she turned to the pedestal to collect her well earned prize.

  


But the pedestal was empty, a dustless circle showing where the artifact had stood until recently.

  


A large hole was blasted into one of the side walls signaling someone had taken the easy route out.

  


Lara sighed angrily, hands on her hips.

  


"Oh, bugger."


	3. The Collector

Author's Note: I was so inspired by such kind and enthusiastic reviews I felt inspired to write the next part straight away. Once again, thank you to you all.

  


  


Part Two – The Collector

  


_Croft Manor, Buckinghamshire, England:_

  


Lara sat at the large desk in her observatory, pouring over newspapers and articles, the computer in front of her searching the Internet for anything hidden in the realms of cyberspace. It was frustrating and time consuming work but she had to know. At least the perfectly starry sky above served to keep her calm. Whenever she felt herself getting tense or angry, she would look up for a few moments. It was so peaceful and serene up there it was hard not to feel its cathartic effect.

  


One thing was constantly irritating her though. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Hillary and Bryce muttering urgently to one another, stopping any time that they thought she was looking at them and burying their heads back into the papers spread in front of them.

  


Eventually her a mixture of her curiosity and annoyance got the better of her and she stood up, crossing over to them with the pretense of going to the bookshelf behind. She picked up one of the large, heavy volumes there, turned and quickly slammed it down on the desk between the two causing them to both jump half a foot.

  


They looked up at her guiltily, like two boys caught with their hands in the biscuit jar. She raised a perfect eyebrow questioningly at them.

  


"Yes?" she asked, in clipped tones.

  


The pair of them exchanged a look.

  


"Nothing," they said in unison.

  


She tilted her head to the left, looking at them as if she was expecting an answer and wasn't going to leave until she got one.

  


"What is wrong?" she asked pointedly.

  


Hillary decided to take the lead, knowing that his slightly more diplomatic approach would probably be more conducive to them staying out of trouble with their employer.

  


"It's nothing really," he said in as offhand manner as he could muster.

  


"But?" she prompted.

  


"But when you've had a....faliure – that was in no way, at all your fault of course," he said, carefully choosing his words so as not to antagonise her further, "Well you tend to be a little....tetchy."

  


"Tetchy?" she asked, surprisingly calm.

  


"Easily irritated," Hillary confirmed.

  


"A tad moody," Bryce added helpfully.

  


"Understandably tense."

  


"A little bit nuts."

  


"Really," Lara replied flatly.

  


They both nodded.

  


There was a long moment of silence.

  


The sound of the doorbell suddenly reverberated through the house. Hillary shot out of his chair.

  


"Oh, the door," he said hurriedly, "I really should answer that."

  


He began to edge towards the door, Bryce standing a following him.

  


"Why don't I give 'im a hand with that," he said with the sort of reassuring smile you'd give a lunatic as you inched towards the panic button.

  


The pair of them tried to the leave the room with some dignity but that proved to be hard when the were walking as fast as they could without actually running.

  


She smiled to herself and returned to her desk, the smile fading slightly as she saw the spread of papers over her desk. Since her return this morning she had had a few hours sleep on Hillary's insistence and then set to work trying to find out what was in that temple. And perhaps who had gotten there first.

  


She had just settled down to what she thought would be a long night when Hillary returned, much more composed this time.

  


"Lara, there's a gentleman here to see you."

  


She frowned as she looked up. It was a little late for visitors.

  


Her frowned turned angry when she saw who it was. Sir Nathan Kennedy – the man who had hired her. 

  


Sir Nathan was a tall, grey man, with an air of aristocratic charm. A retired archaeologist who had once worked for the British Museum, he now did his own private research and collecting. When he had approached her originally it was with evidence highlighting the existence of a yet undiscovered temple in the Himalayas, no doubt home to a number of priceless artifacts. There was said to be one main artifact in the heart of the place that was never described except as one of the most valued treasures man could own. He had hired Lara to find it for him.

  


"Mr Kennedy is no gentleman, Hillary," Lara answered tersely, making her feelings quite clear. Knowing that to not use his proper title would be an affront to him. He was that sort of man.

  


"Now, Lady Croft," Kennedy said soothingly, removing his hat as protocol would demand, "There is no need to be like that."

  


She glared at him intensely.

  


"Er, should I make tea?" Hillary asked, glad it wasn't him she was looking at in such a dangerous manner.

  


"No," Lara interjected, "He won't be staying long."

  


Hillary nodded and left them to it, rather relieved to be out of there.

  


There were a few moments of silence as Lara chose to ignore her 'guest' and instead continue with her research.

  


"I understand that you're angry," Kennedy began, inevitably breaking the silence.

  


"You hired someone else to go after the artifact," she said bluntly, avoiding looking at him as she crossed to shelf to replace one of the useless books and retrieve a hopefully more helpful one, "Why would I possibly be angry?"

  


"Actually," he said in a matter of fact manner, "It was another four people. But you did get there second, so bravo."

  


She paused in her tracks, taking a deep, calming breath.

  


"Look, no hard feelings, hmm?" he said brightly, "And since you did so well last time I'd like to retain your services for another retrieval job."

  


She smiled as turned to look at him, speaking softly, "I don't think so."

  


"It's in Egypt," he said, as though trying to persuade a small child, "Somewhere in the Valley of the Kings – my people are still working on the exact location but we'll have it in a few days. And Egypt is your forte I understand. I'm sure you'd have no problem winning this time. Of course you'd be handsomely paid either way."

  


She shook her head, "I only play for fun, Mr Kennedy. Not sport. And I don't need the money."

  


The look on her face was adamant and he seemed to be aware of this.

  


"Very well then, Lady Croft," he said amicably, twirling his hat in his hands before replacing it on his head with a little flair, "I shall consider it my loss."

  


"Good luck, Mr Kennedy," she replied and turned back to her research, signaling that their meeting was over.

  


By the time Hillary and Bryce returned, Kennedy was long since gone and Lara had continued on with her work.

  


"Well what did that git want?" Bryce asked in his usual blunt manner.

  


"That's Sir Git to you," Hillary corrected. Dislike was no reason for bad etiquette.

  


"He wanted me to go after another piece. In Egypt this time."

  


Hillary raised an eyebrow in surprise.

  


"I trust you turned him down," he said disdainfully. Just because the man had been knighted, didn't mean he had to like him. As soon as he had oozed his way into the house, Hillary had taken a dislike to Sir Nathan for no apparent reason. There w just an air of mistrust that seemed to hang around the man like mist.

  


"Of course," Lara replied.

  


"But you're going to look for it yourself?" Hillary countered, nothng that she had not given up on her research despite being officially off the case, so to speak.

  


"Of course," she said again.

  


"But you don't know what it is?"

  


"No."

  


"Why didn't you just ask him?" Bryce chipped in with a frown. It would certainly beat looking through all these books.

  


"Because he wouldn't have told me," Lara explained simply, "And if he had, it would have been a lie."

  


"Why do you want to get this so much anyway?" Bryce continued, sitting opposite her – despite Hillary's disapproving tut – and sticking his feet up on the desk.

  


Lara promptly pushed them off again and they hit the floor with a thud.

  


"Because I don't come cheap," she reasoned, "And neither does anyone who could possibly beat me. To be throwing this much money and effort into a project, Kennedy has to be after more than a trinket for his mantelpiece. And we're going to find out what."

  


Lara tossed a book at Bryce which he just about managed to hold on to.

  


"You can start with that one," she said before returning to her work.

  


Bryce sighed as he stood up and headed back to the table with Hillary.

  


"I wish I hadn't bloody asked now," he muttered.


	4. The Mystery of the Skulls

Author's Note: Thank you as always for the reviews. I'm particularly pleased people are enjoying the interaction between the characters as this is always the hardest bit to get right. Enjoy!

  


  


**Part Three – The Mystery of the Skulls**

  


Hillary had just shut his eyes for a moment, that was all. A mere moment to give them a rest from scanning the yellowing pages of old books, trying to discover if the text could reveal any clues as to what had been in that Himalayan temple.

  


He didn't know how long that moment lasted, but it was probably a little longer than most people's definition of a 'moment'. About an hour longer at least. Lara clearly hadn't minded though since she hadn't woken him up before now. That was fair enough – while she'd been sleeping all afternoon, he'd been kept busy sorting and cleaning the clothes and equipment she had brought back with her.

  


His eyes opened gently now, his rest disturbed by something he had sensed in his sleeping state. As his vision cleared, he suddenly sat bolt upright in shock as he realised what was now floating in front of his face. 

  


A grinning skull, bobbing about a foot beyond his nose. It was almost laughing at him, seemingly pleased with its work of making him jump out of his skin.

  


Lara smiled slightly too, as if joining in the joke as she held the book containing the malicious picture up for him to see.

  


"Does this have some sort of significance?" Hillary asked, loosening his grip on the chair arms as the colour slowly drained back into his face, "Or just a method you use to keep yourself entertained?"

  


"This is what Kennedy had me looking for," Lara said with a small triumphant smile, handing Hillary the book so he could take a closer look, "A quartz crystal skull. No one knows the exact dates, but they are thought to be over three thousand years old."

  


"Three thousand years?" Bryce asked curiously, glad to be able to drop his book and join them, "How did anyone three thousand years ago have the stuff to carve quartz?"

  


"That's part of their mystery," Lara said, recalling what she had found out in the short time she had had the book in her hands. It was indeed a mystery as to how such ancient civilisations could produce such detailed and eerily beautiful quartz carvings. Some people said that they simply must be all an elaborate hoax, while others hinted at a more... supernatural explanation.

  


"You said 'they'," Hillary said, frowning in realisation as he looked up from the book.

  


Lara nodded, "Legend has it there are five in all – one that was stolen from me at the Indian temple, two still hidden, one in the hands of a private collector and the last seemingly lost."

  


"Didn't old whats-his-face say one was in Egypt?" Bryce asked, dimly recalling what Lara had told him about the conversation she had had with Sir Nathan hours earlier.

  


"Yes. Hidden in the Valley of Kings. In one of the tombs I should imagine."

  


"And I should imagine you intend going after it," Hillary said, not even bothering to think otherwise – she wouldn't have put this much effort in to research it if that wasn't the case, "But I'm not entirely sure why."

  


"Well, to piss that git off, of course," Bryce explained, easily.

  


Lara gave him a look.

  


"I expect they're worth a fair few bob, as well," he added with a shrug.

  


"Priceless," she said, in an offhand manner, "But that's not why I – Kennedy, I suspect – wants them."

  


"Why then?" 

  


"The writings here," she said indicating a section in the book Hillary was still holding, "They're incomplete, but they link to skulls to some sort of unnamed power. Something 'one good man alone was never fit to yield.' And I don't believe Kennedy to be a good man."

  


There was a long moment of silence as they shared a communal look.  
  


"I'll get on the blower then," said Bryce, sighing as he realised the inevitable. Lara wouldn't let someone she disliked as much as Kennedy get his hands on something potentially dangerous. He stood up and headed for the phone.

  


"Will the next flight to Cairo do?"

  


Lara nodded in thanks and returned to her desk trying to decide what, if anything, it would be worth taking with her.

  


"Far be it from me to rain on your parade," Hillary said, following her, "But how on earth do you intend to find the next skull in such a wide area?"

  


"I have a friend who works out there," she explained, taking the book back from Hillary, "Who should be able to help - if anyone knows where the skull could be hidden..."

  


"How's 6am for you, Lara?" Bryce asked, holding his hand over the phone, keeping the woman on the other end waiting while he checked.

  


"Perfect," she said with a grateful smile, "Gives me enough time to pack."

  


"I'll pack," Hillary said, taking the book from her once more, "You sleep. If you insist upon rushing off again the moment you get home, the least you can do is go fully rested."

  


Lara smiled softly, "Thank you, Hilly."

  


As she headed out of the room, she paused and turned back.

  


"While I'm gone I want you boys to do something for me."

  


Hillary and Bryce looked at her expectantly.

  


"One of those skulls is in the hands of a private collector. I want you to try and find out who."

  


"Of course," Hillary said with a nod.

  


"More bloody research," Bryce mumbled, looking less than pleased.

  


Her smiled broadened, "Have fun boys. I have a lord of the realm to piss off."


End file.
